The 2024 World Junior Under-20 Hockey Championship was one for the ages. A dominant United States team defeated the host country Sweden, who was backed by a home-ice advantage in the stands of the arena.
Four Denver hockey representatives showed up for Team USA at the World Juniors, freshman defenseman Zeev Buium, Head Coach David Carle, Director of Hockey Operations Travis Culhane and Equipment Manager Nick Meldrum.
Buium was the only draft-eligible prospect on the United States roster, making him a highlighted player in the tournament. A lot of pressure came with the spotlight, but Buium was able to handle it.
“Pressure is a good thing and pressure is a privilege and I don’t really think about it too much,” Buium said. “I just go out and play hockey.”
Buium, a native of San Diego, California, was proud to wear the red, white, and blue colors.
“Anytime you get to wear a USA jersey it’s a special opportunity, and obviously wearing it at the World Juniors is pretty special and an unbelievable opportunity and experience,” he said.
This was Buium’s second time putting on the USA sweater. Last year he also won the gold medal at the Under-18 World Juniors tournament.
Buium’s impact on the USA team did not go unnoticed. He led the tournament for defensemen with three goals and overall had five points in seven games. Buium showed his defensive ability by leading the tournament in plus/minus with +11.
Buium’s success came despite having to adjust to a different role of being on the third defensive pairing, a role he was not used to playing being the first defensive pairing at Denver.
“Adjusting to the new role and a new group of guys in a short time was a challenge, it was more team-related, and I had to go out there and do a job,” he said.
His new role of being a bottom-pairing defenseman is something that Buium isn’t used to and poses a challenge along with the struggle of getting team chemistry together in a short tournament.
Buium played with the University of Minnesota freshman defenseman Sam Rinzel for the entirety of the tournament. Buium said that Rinzel’s skating ability mixed with his sizable frame made the two a formidable duo.
At Denver, Buium is among the best defensemen in all of college hockey as an 18-year-old freshman. Buium has been an assist machine this season, recording 22 assists and five goals in 20 games. The individual success is due to the success of the program in the eyes of the young defensemen.
“The culture we have here and the support from the team and coaching staff is great, and I can’t do it without them,” Buium said.
Denver’s Head Coach David Carle was another representative of Denver at the World Juniors and expressed his gratitude for the position.
“It means a lot, anytime you get that opportunity to represent your country, and you never know when you’re going to get that call and do the best you can when given the opportunity. The golden standard in this day and age is very high for USA Hockey, and I’m super proud we got the job done and won gold,” Carle said.
Being around other coaches allowed Carle to be a learner and soak up the way the other top-tier coaches talked about hockey. Along with Carle, St. Cloud State Head Coach Brett Larson was a part of the coaching staff, bringing his veteran presence to an otherwise young bench.
Buium’s impact did not go unnoticed by Carle as he was proud of the way he played the game and the consistency he showed throughout the more important stages of the tournament.
“He wants to be out there in big moments and impact the game on both ends of the rink and it comes from his DNA within his family and his competitive nature,” Carle said.
Buium’s moments were huge in this tournament, as he scored the go-ahead goal in the gold medal game to solidify the win for the United States. And to those who were wondering, he had the “Superman” celebration ready to go if he got the chance to score in the gold medal game.
A Daily Faceoff article mentioned Buium’s draft stock increasing into the first round of this year’s NHL draft after his World Juniors performance.
“Anton Silyaev, Sam Dickinson, and Artyom Levshunov are the most common answers – many are starting to consider Buium to be the top name available,” they said.
As we pass the midway point of the 2023-24 college hockey season, Buium’s play continues to shine brighter as the season moves along. He continues to turn heads in the hockey world as a draft-eligible prospect for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
